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sequins, fire-breathers, and questionable life choices — Eurovision has never played it safe! Join us as we count down the most jaw-dropping, bizarre, and utterly unforgettable songs to ever grace the Eurovision stage! From monsters and gorillas to literal grandmothers and running vampires, these entries will leave you speechless. Which Eurovision oddity lives rent-free in your head?
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00:03Welcome to WatchMojo and today we're counting down our picks for the most out-there Eurovision
00:09performances ever and we're including the controversial ones as well as those that
00:13really surprised us for the better.
00:24Number 31 Windows 95 Man Finland's 2024 entry Windows 95 Man certainly took to heart the
00:38title of his chosen song No Rules because this performance was pure chaos.
00:44The act kicks off with one of the most surreal visuals of the night, our performer bursting
00:50out of a giant denim egg.
01:06From there things only get stranger, rocking a retro Windows 95 shirt and cap and seemingly
01:12nothing from the waist down, Windows 95 Man launches into a deliberately awkward, dad-dance-fuelled
01:20routine where different elements block the audience from supposedly seeing his private parts.
01:32There's just too many wacky elements to list in this performance, but each and every one leaves a
01:39lasting impression.
01:42Number 30 Igranka
01:51Meaning Party in Montenegrin and the band WhoSee certainly brought that to Eurovision.
01:57We love a good Eurovision staging and when you combine it with rapping astronauts you know you're in for a
02:03treat.
02:04Things got crazy when the singer popped up with killer vocals and continued to bring the house down.
02:17Despite this being performed in 2013, people are still revisiting it to this day,
02:22with many commenting that Igranka was ahead of its time and would have easily made it to the finals.
02:34Number 29
02:35Romancer
02:44This performance might not be as flashy as some of the other ones,
02:48but Croatia sure does know how to make everybody talk.
02:59These performers managed to blend classic Croatian vibes with a good old rap,
03:05and the best part? They showed that your age doesn't matter when it comes to music.
03:15The staging was quite simple, with a single dancer, musicians and the two performing acts,
03:21Kraljevi Lice and the rapper 75 cents.
03:25Yep, you heard that right. Come on, it wouldn't be Eurovision if at least one of the performers
03:30didn't have a name that made everyone giggle. They didn't make it to the finals,
03:34but they did have a memorable performance.
03:45Number 28 Teenage Life
03:52It's rare to see a school-like setting on the Eurovision stage, but the UK made sure to change
03:57that. Musician Daz Sampson took to the stage with dancers dressed like schoolgirls,
04:03and spoke of trials and tribulations of being a teenager.
04:14It's a cute song with a catchy chorus, definitely a Eurovision guilty pleasure.
04:27Don't be ashamed to admit it, we've all got one.
04:30Teenage Life ended up finishing in 19th place in the final performance. It's a pretty decent score,
04:36considering luck isn't always on the UK's side when it comes to Eurovision.
04:46Number 27 Who the hell is Edgar
05:01Okay, there's a good chance this one will get stuck in your head. Who the hell is Edgar graced us
05:06with
05:06it's presence in 2023, when Austria's Thea and Selina brought down the house.
05:19Their eccentric performance, an ode to Edgar Allan Poe, was well received and they even had the crowd
05:25joining in at the catchy chorus. And in case you were wondering, the line about 0.003 refers to how
05:39much Spotify pays their artists for every listen. In the end, they placed 15th, but don't let that
05:45fool you. You'll be muttering po po po po for the rest of the day.
06:01It's no twilight, but Vampires Are Alive is Eurovision's version of a good old vampire tale.
06:08Switzerland brought a lot of people on stage, along with the artist DJ Bobo, who was already
06:14known for his Eurodance tracks at the time. The performance told the story of, well,
06:26vampires, being alive, and being forever young. That's pretty much it.
06:37But it was catchy, different, and it's definitely one of those performances Eurovision fans
06:43can't get out of their heads every once in a while. Unfortunately, Vampires Are Alive
06:48never qualified for the finale. But hey, they made this list, and that's something, right?
07:02Number 25 Wolves of the Sea
07:11All right, first we had Vampires, now we have Wolves. This one is a little bit confusing,
07:17because the band is actually called Pirates of the Sea. And yeah, they were performing a song called
07:23Wolves of the Sea, with a pirate theme.
07:26The high, high hope, in a high, high, hey, we're bound to be close to the sea.
07:32The whole thing seemed like great fun. They brought plenty of energy, which is something
07:36every Eurovision performer should have. I can't have a stand on the bridge and say,
07:42Pirates are all we can be. Wolves of the Sea had a playful and whimsical charm,
07:49but they didn't manage to score enough points with the judges to secure a win. They placed 12th,
07:54but the song remains a Eurovision classic.
07:56We are Wolves of the Sea
08:00Number 24 Give that Wolf a Banana
08:03Not sure I told you, but I really like your teeth
08:08That hairy coat of yours with nothing underneath
08:11Ah, who could possibly forget this one? Back in 2022,
08:15Norway was the talk of the town with this performance.
08:18And before that wolf eats my crime, I give that wolf a banana, give that wolf
08:23As far as Eurovision goes, give that wolf a banana scores pretty high on the WTF scale. The
08:30choreography, the yellow theme and wolf masks really bring it all together and show us exactly
08:35what Eurovision is about.
08:37And before that wolf eats my grandma, give that wolf a banana, give that wolf
08:44One is as though nothing is a miracle.
08:44Being unique and eccentric is always a good thing here. They placed 10th. But let's be honest,
08:50all Eurovision fans still talk about this performance to this day.
08:58Somebody give that wolf a banana
09:00Mommy give that wolf a banana already
09:01Number 23 My friend
09:03There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The
09:10other is as though everything is a miracle.
09:13Alright, this is the second time Croatia made it to our list. In 2017, Croatian artist
09:19Jacques Rudec took to the stage and performed a beautiful ballad. But the plot twist was
09:24that he was a solo but also a duet. He was singing with two distinctive voices and pretty
09:42much duetted himself. It was a unique way to show off his talent and it definitely created
10:00a memorable Eurovision moment, complete with dramatic staging. My Friend ended up finishing
10:06in the unlucky 13th place, but it did leave a lasting impression on the Eurovision fanbase.
10:2022. Cha Cha Cha
10:27When you think of Eurovision 2023, you think of Caria and the absolute tune that is Cha Cha
10:33Cha. We love when this contest does neon and Finland definitely brought a lot of it on stage
10:39that year. Cha Cha Cha mesmerised Eurovision fans with its energy, colours and of course,
10:52one of the catchiest choruses ever. Just listen to that crowd singing along.
10:5722. Cha Cha Cha
11:02So much so, the crowd's chants kept interrupting the hosts during the voting. It ended up placing
11:08second but it's the number one in the hearts of many. It's crazy, it's party.
11:2221. Yodel It
11:32It's rare to see a jodeling act on Eurovision, but in 2017, Romania made us fall in love with
11:38Ilinka and Alex and their adorable yodel song. It's catchy, it's cute, and their performance
11:44has a lot of energy. What more could you ask for?
11:4722. They really looked like they were having the time of their lives on that stage. Just
12:01listen to that crowd reaction at the end. Who says yodeling is outdated?
12:0722. Cha Cha
12:12The pair made it to the finals and came in seventh place, which is pretty impressive.
12:18BRB need to learn how to yodel.
12:2020. Say Nah Nah Nah
12:28Alright, this one had some pretty unique staging. Say Nah Nah Nah was on Eurovision in 2019,
12:34performed by San Marino's Sirhat. It stands out from the rest due to its colourful display of
12:39lyrics to help the audience sing along.
12:50But what makes it belong on our list is the fact that Sirhat actually trained as a dentist,
12:55and singing dentist became a running joke in the fandom.
13:0022. San Marino ended up in 19th place that year, but Say Nah Nah Nah went on to having
13:10covers in other languages. Safe to say even dentists have a lot of talent.
13:15Be a hero near the rainbow of San Marino, say Marino, say Marino, say Marino, say Marino.
13:2319. Marma Šču
13:31It doesn't get any more eccentric than Croatia's 2023 entry called Marma Šču. The band Let Three
13:39was already known for its slightly obscene performances, and they really brought the
13:44house down on the Eurovision stage. The song is very political, calling out a specific country
13:49leader and condemning his actions.
14:01The actual performance is extremely colourful, energetic and just very out there. They even
14:07sing the alphabet at one point. You can hear the entire crowd yelling throughout.
14:16So even though they ended up in 13th place, Let Three walked away knowing that they did that.
14:2318. Jambo Jambo
14:29Peter, Sue and Mark were Eurovision regulars, representing their country on four different
14:35occasions and in four different languages, no less. But their 1976 song about a failed,
14:42creepy-looking clown was possibly not their finest hour. The tune is catchy enough, but the clown looks
14:48like he could have quite easily doubled for Pennywise in Stephen King's It.
14:57According to the song's lyrics, when Jambo Jambo plays his organ, children call it circus in the streets,
15:04and then run away, probably, as fast as they can.
15:07It was you who had us laughing, you're the one. It was you who had us laughing, you're the one.
15:1817. Alcohol is Free
15:26Since booze made its way into the title of this tune, we're guessing the composers had a drink or three
15:33before they wrote it, and a few more during the recording.
15:41The style is a mixture of folk and ska, and for some reason, the musicians decided to perform it
15:46in that traditional item of Greek costume, the kilt. The song is lots of fun, sure.
15:57But there's a serious message behind the lyrics too, with references to the suffering caused to
16:02Greece during the country's debt crisis. It finished in a creditable sixth place.
16:0716. Vada Hada Duda Da
16:16Entertainer and comedian Stefan Raab is another fixture of the Eurovision scene. The title,
16:21to his year 2000 song, translates to What do you have there? But don't worry if you can't
16:26understand the rest of the words. Most people from Raab's home country couldn't either,
16:31since they were partly written in an invented dialect.
16:44The song is cheesier than a cheese explosion in a cheddar factory. But you've got to hand it to
16:50Rob for nailing those tongue-twisting lyrics. Amazingly, the song finished fifth on the night.
17:01What were you thinking, Europe?
17:17No countdown of dodgy Eurovision songs would be complete without at least one entry from the UK,
17:24and for this pick, we've gone with pop group Scooch, and their not-so-tour-tapping tune from 2007.
17:38The music is as bland as an airplane meal, and the lyrics feature several clunky one-liners,
17:44including the embarrassingly infamous Would you like something to suck on for landing, sir?
17:49The song may be about flying high, but Scooch's performance crashed badly,
17:54with the group finishing 22nd out of 24 acts.
17:59We think we'll take the train next time.
18:06Number 14. My Sloviany. We are Slavic. Where do we start with this one?
18:14A 2014 entry, which was supposed to be a parody of Polish stereotypes,
18:19that ended up being remembered for very different reasons. While the vocalists sing about shaking
18:25what your mama gave you, the backing performer suggestively carry out tasks such as cleaning
18:30laundry and churning butter. In the UK, the public ranked the song as their favourite from the show,
18:42but the voting panel put it in last place, with one member comparing the performance
18:46to soft-porn.
18:53Number 13. It's My Life.
18:56It's so bright, like a diamond in the light.
19:01When it comes to pure drama, few performances can match this 2013 effort from Caesar. The song
19:08starts routinely enough, then the chorus arrives, and we're treated to the spectacle of a man singing
19:14operatic pop while dressed like a sequined Dracula and standing in a makeshift sea of blood.
19:27Even more bizarrely, the entry was apparently an everyday love song, and not about vampires at all.
19:33Only in Eurovision, eh? The song racked up 65 points in the final,
19:38and finished in a somewhat disappointing 13th place.
19:50Number 12. Euroneuro
19:56Amadeus is a self-styled poet and media manipulator,
20:01and so his 2012 Eurovision entry was a satire about the European Union. The song features such
20:08memorable lyrics as, I only got one rule, always stay cool like a swimming pool.
20:17But unfortunately, Amadeus seemed to have focused so strongly on the wordplay,
20:22that he forgot to include a melody, or any actual singing. And that's before we even
20:27mention the break dancers and the Trojan horse. Sadly, Euroneuro got knocked out at the semi-final
20:34stage, to the surprise of absolutely no one.
20:38And that's why he made me change to rips.
20:43Number 11. Gildo Hatteuschlieb
20:46With his wild hair, and even wilder clothes, Gildo Horn looks more like a mad professor,
20:52or a flamboyant lounge-singing pirate, than a pop star.
21:01Backed by a group called the Orthopaedic Stockings,
21:04he dashes back and forth across the stage, before treating us to a cowbell solo.
21:16There's even time for some audience participation,
21:18before he leaves the stage to go clambering over part of the set.
21:27Who said the Germans don't have a sense of humour. At least, we hope it was all meant as a
21:32joke.
21:33Number 10. Baila el Chiqui Chiqui
21:35Translating to Dance the Chiqui Chiqui
21:43This 2008 effort came from a Spanish comic character, wearing an Elvis wig, and credited with
21:50inventing the vibrator guitar.
22:00As Rodolfo asks us to dance doggy style,
22:03backing dancers pretend to blunder their way through the colourful routine.
22:07And, although the performance is apparently packed with political references and gags,
22:13it's the song's score that'll most make you laugh.
22:20It amassed an astonishing 55 points, meaning it finished comfortably mid-table,
22:26coming 16th out of 25 entries.
22:33Number 9. Cry Baby
22:39The UK has had a dismal Eurovision record in recent years, Sam Ryder notwithstanding,
22:45but this performance by Liverpool pop duo Gemini marked a new low.
22:49Bye bye baby, lie to me baby, must've been crazy, baby bye bye.
22:57From the very first note, the singing is so flat,
23:00it feels like the blooper reel shown during the X Factor auditions.
23:04Afterwards, the pair claimed that technical faults meant that
23:07they couldn't hear their own vocals, if only we could say the same.
23:11Bye bye baby, lie to me baby.
23:14Cry Baby was the first ever English-language song to receive Nul Pwa,
23:19though some critics claim Gemini were lucky to get even that.
23:27Number 8. Eurovision
23:35Synth-pop group Telex are best known for their worldwide hit single,
23:40Moscow Disco. Unfortunately, this Eurovision entry won them far fewer plaudits.
23:48The simple melodies and banal lyrics make you wonder if the song was simply thrown together the
23:54previous evening. On the plus side, the scarf twirling choreography is understated genius.
24:02After the show, the band admitted that they wanted to finish last, but their hopes were cruelly
24:07dashed by Portugal, who awarded them 10 points. They finished 17th out of 19.
24:18Number 7. Run Away
24:20When this next record starts up, you might think it is just like any other cheesy Eurovision entry.
24:33Then the sax player, Sergei Stepanov, steps forward to steal the show completely with an energetic solo.
24:42While Moldova finished 22nd in the 2010 competition, Stepanov's performance was so popular,
24:49it spawned the epic sax guy meme, drawing approval from even Gandalf the Grey.
24:56Stepanov eventually returned to the Eurovision stage in 2017, sporting shades and a tux for a brand new track.
25:06What a guy.
25:09Number 6. Genghis Khan
25:14The outward flamboyance of this German pop group's performance is matched only by the garishness of
25:20their absurdly inaccurate historical costumes. As the Mongol leader canters about the stage,
25:27seducing everyone by spinning everywhere, his companions heartily sing about him fathering
25:33seven children in a single night, with lots of oohs and ahs thrown in for good measure.
25:43Bizarrely, the song has enjoyed success, registering over 100,000 digital downloads
25:49in Japan in 2014, having been released in 2006.
25:53And boom in line and two, ha, boom, ha, boom.
25:58Number 5. Hard Rock Hallelujah
26:04Weird doesn't always mean bad in Eurovision, as our next entry demonstrates. The only hard
26:10rock band ever to win the competition, Lordy, lauded the stage in 2006, belting out Christian
26:17messages while dressed in costumes that are part Klingon, part Predator.
26:28And as this song reaches its epic finale, the frontman unveils his leathery bat wings,
26:35just because he can.
26:40Three years later, and 80,000 people set a karaoke Guinness World Record when they
26:46gathered to sing the song in Helsinki. That's how popular it was, and is.
26:56Number 4. Party for Everybody
27:04If you've been waiting for a performance based on baking, then we bring good news.
27:09This bizarre, yet endearing entry from six Russian grannies begins with two of them pushing a tray
27:16of cookies into a kiln.
27:21Then while the biscuits bake, the women shuffle around the stage and sing about lighting ovens
27:26and kneading dough. The grannies came second in the 2012 competition and used their newfound
27:32fame to help raise funds for a church reconstruction back home.
27:38The exils don't get any bigger, or better, than this.
27:42The exils don't get any bigger, or better, than this.
27:47The exils don't get any bigger, or better, than this.
27:48The exils don't get any bigger, or better, than this.
27:48The exils don't get any bigger, or better, than this.
27:49Number 3. Irlande du Zepois
27:54Hats off to the Irish for slipping a not-so-subliminal message into this track's title,
28:00but it wasn't enough for them to progress past even the semi-final stage.
28:08Performed by a puppet turkey, who first appeared on children's television alongside Ziegen Zag,
28:14there's strangely no real attempt to conceal the puppeteer, which only adds to the general confusion.
28:23At least the lyrics are just as ridiculous as the rest of the performance,
28:27mocking the competition and throwing in a reference to Terry Wogan's wig.
28:31Russia, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, don't forget Turkey, Hungary, Estonia,
28:36Slovenia, Slovakia, Armenia, and Austria, Herzegovia!
28:41Number 2. Dancing Lashatumbai
28:43It may look like our next performers have wrapped themselves in tinfoil,
28:50but they're actually wearing costumes designed by Dolce and Cabana.
28:54The lyrics to this song are part Ukrainian, part German, but all gibberish.
28:58As the singer assures us that dancing is good, and repeats over and over the phrase 7712.
29:06Don't be fooled by the act's seeming simplicity, however,
29:09as Jorka Sadushka ended up finishing as runner-up on the night.
29:131, 2, 3, danse!
29:16Number 1. We are the winners
29:22Someone may need to explain the rules to this Lithuanian pop group,
29:26because they made the mistake of proclaiming themselves victors before the voting had even started.
29:37Suited, booted, and with stick-on smiles, the highlight of their performance is undoubtedly
29:43Arnaldus Lukosius giving this amazing impression of an uncle dancing at a wedding.
29:54The fact that LT United finished sixth in the competition is testament to just how hilariously
30:01unpredictable Eurovision can be. Still, like everything else on today's list, the song sure is catchy.
30:08We are the winners of Eurovision.
30:14Who is your favourite Eurovision artist ever? Let us know in the comments.
30:19We'll see you next time.
30:24We'll see you next time.
30:25Let us see you next time.
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